Read More: Dwight Howard (C – ORL), Orlando Magic, New Orleans Hornets

The Orlando Magic coughed up a 20 plus point lead Thursday night to the Boston Celtics, scoring just eight points in the final quarter to squander a home win. Those woes carried over to Friday night as they were run off the floor by the New Orleans Hornets in their fourth game in five nights. The Magic failed to scored 20 points in a quarter, as the Hornets closed it out 93-67 at New Orleans Arena.

Dwight Howard was the only Magic player who showed up, scoring 28 points and grabbing 16 rebounds against an overmatched Hornet frontcourt. No other Magic player would score in double figures, as Orlando shot less than 40 percent from the field. In addition to the poor-shooting, they also committed 22 turnovers, which made this a laugher early in the fourth quarter.

The Magic now have one day off, before they host the Indiana Pacers at Amway Center on Sunday evening.

For more on the Magic, please visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation’s Magic blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit At the Hive, SB Nation’s Hornets blog.

Jason Richardson and his teammates were all crushed after giving up a 27-point lead at home to the Boston Celtics last night, and Richardson said that the Magic need to avoid getting the label of being soft. Too late? From the Orlando Sentinel: “A guy who just arrived last season — shooting guard Jason Richardson — said after the Magic blew a 27-point lead, ‘The guys know that we didn’t come out in the second half like we were supposed to. To go and give up a lead like that? We have to figure out a way to maintain stuff like that, lik ehow to play with leads like that or when teams put pressure on us. It’s folding like that. We don’t want to get that reputation..that we’re soft.’ Said Glen Davis, ‘You could see things unraveling, turnovers….and Boston smelled blood. They smelled pressure, and we didn’t do a good job of countering.’”

ORLANDO — Paul Pierce had 24 points and 10 assists, and E’Twaun Moore added 16 points to help the Boston Celtics erase a 27-point deficit and beat the Orlando Magic for the second time this week, 91-83 on Thursday night.

Pierce and Moore had 10 points each in the fourth quarter.

Dwight Howard led the Magic with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Orlando had an 11-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but shot 2 of 17 in the final 12 minutes. The Magic scored just eight points in the period.

The Celtics have won three straight for just the second time this season. It also was their fourth consecutive victory over the Magic, dating to last season.

Since a season-best, five-game winning streak, the Magic have lost three times in five games, including a 31-point defeat at Boston on Monday.

After being mostly manhandled on both ends for three quarters, Boston found its energy in the final 12 minutes, sparked by Pierce and Moore.

The Celtics opened the fourth quarter with a 15-1 run and grabbed their first lead since the opening period, 79-76 with 7:32 to play.

The Magic went 0-for-7 from the field, missed 5 of 6 free throws and committed three turnovers during Boston’s spurt.

A free throw by Pierce after Ryan Anderson’s technical foul made it 84-78 with 3:47 remaining. The Magic got within 84-80 after a pair of free throws by Hedo Turkoglu, but no closer.

Early on, it seemed like the Magic’s night.

In a reversal of its dismal performance in the first half of Monday’s loss, Orlando led 58-37 at halftime on Thursday — eclipsing its point total in the entire first game by a basket in the opening 24 minutes.

By Andy Hutchins

– Editor

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Jan 26, 2012 – The Orlando Magic’s chances of getting revenge on the Boston Celtics for an embarrassing loss on Monday night seemed fairly good, as the Magic opened up a 27-point lead with just three minutes to go in the first half. But then everything came crumbling down, and the Celtics rallied behind Kevin Garnett and E’Twaun Moore, allowed just 25 second-half points by the Magic, and came back for a 91-83 victory.

Garnett had 12 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and three steals, filling the stat sheet in virtually every category, and Moore came off the bench to play 18 minutes and score 16 points for Boston, compiling a massive plus-27 number in his limited action. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 24 points.

Plus-minus has its flaws, too, such as showing Dwight Howard with a minus-25 for his play in a 16-point, 16-rebound outing. Howard was joined by every other Magic starter in double figures, but he was the only one to shoot 50 percent from the field. And Orlando, often reliant on the three-pointer, wasn’t very accurate from deep, making just five of 17 tries.

The Magic scored more points in each of their two quarters in the first half than they did in the entire second half; in fact, Orlando’s 58 points in the first half against the Celtics on Thursday were more than they scored in their full game against Boston on Monday, in an 87-56 loss that set a new franchise record for scoring futility.

For more on the Celtics, head to Celtics Blog; for more on the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post.

Read More: Kevin Garnett (F – BOS), Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics

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The Boston Celtics just might be on the verge of turning their young season around after their defeat of the Orlando Magic by the score of 91-83 on Thursday, January 26.

The win marks their third straight, and their second straight victory over the Magic. The Celtics improve to 8-9 on the season while Orlando drops to 12-6.

Coming into the game, Boston was riding the tail of their 87-56 blowout win over the Magic back on Monday, January 23. Orlando went on to defeat the Indiana Pacers the next day by the score of 102-83, but it was Boston’s first game since the Monday matchup. Surely, they hoped for a repeat performance.

The Celtics played without Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Jermaine O’Neal but still managed to defeat the Magic, due primarily to stellar play in the second half. Orlando was outscored 54-25 in the final two quarters, and held to just eight points in the fourth. Boston was outscored 58-37 in the first half.

Paul Pierce was the top performer for the Celtics scoring 24 points with six rebounds and 10 assists. Kevin Garnett had 12 points and 10 rebounds while E’Twaun Moore led the reserves with 16 points off the bench.

Dwight Howard was held to just 16 points but picked up 16 rebounds on the night. Jason Richardson scored 13 points while Ryan Anderson contributed 12 in Orlando’s losing effort.

Even without three starters, the Celtics were able to come from behind and pull out a win against one of the better teams in the league. Confidence is surely building amongst them that they are never out of a game regardless of who is unable to play and what opponent they are facing. The season may not be a wash after all regardless of what some fans feared after the rough start to the season.

It is great to see the Celtics never give up. After the first half it was questionable if they could pull it off. Their stellar defense won if for them in the second half, the fourth quarter especially.

Boston will face another tough opponent at home on Friday, January 27 when the Indiana Pacers come to town. If they keep the momentum going, this can be a winnable game for sure.

More Boston Celtics Commentary from this Contributor:

Boston Celtics embarrass Orlando Magic 87-56: A fan’s reaction

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce defeat Washington Wizards: A fan’s reaction

Boston Celtics come up short, fall to Suns 79-71: A fan’s reaction

Boston Celtics end skid, defeat Raptors 96-73: A fan’s reaction

Boston Celtics need change, fast: A fan’s take

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is an avid Boston Celtics fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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Glen “Big Baby” Davis will be looking to screen Avery Bradley when the Magic face the Celtics tonight (Joshua C. Cruey, Orlando Sentinel)

Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley bedeviled the Orlando Magic when the Celtics humiliated the Orlando Magic 87-56 Monday night. Bradley applied pressure whenever Jameer Nelson brought the ball up the court and prevented the Magic from getting into their offense.

But Bradley better keep his head on a swivel tonight, because his former teammate, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, will be waiting to screen him.

“I’ve never seen a point guard dominate the game like that in a way to get us out of our offense and get some key steals,” Davis said after the Magic completed their shootaround today.

“So he’ll be seeing me today.”

Davis meant it only half-jokingly.

The Magic need to give Nelson some space to operate if Bradley attempts to apply the same kind of pressure, and screens by Davis could help get some distance between Nelson and Bradley.

“Avery is a great player,” Davis said later. “He most definitely is. His defensive game is unbelievable, the way he approaches the game defensively and the way he attacks. I’ve seen it. It’s just about him getting on the court and doing what he has to do.”

When the Magic acquired Davis in December, both General Manager Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy said Davis was one of the NBA’s best screeners.

Davis will have yet another opportunity to prove that tonight.

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

Glen “Big Baby” Davis will be looking to screen Avery Bradley when the Magic face the Celtics tonight (Joshua C. Cruey, Orlando Sentinel)

Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley bedeviled the Orlando Magic when the Celtics humiliated the Orlando Magic 87-56 Monday night. Bradley applied pressure whenever Jameer Nelson brought the ball up the court and prevented the Magic from getting into their offense.

But Bradley better keep his head on a swivel tonight, because his former teammate, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, will be waiting to screen him.

“I’ve never seen a point guard dominate the game like that in a way to get us out of our offense and get some key steals,” Davis said after the Magic completed their shootaround today.

“So he’ll be seeing me today.”

Davis meant it only half-jokingly.

The Magic need to give Nelson some space to operate if Bradley attempts to apply the same kind of pressure, and screens by Davis could help get some distance between Nelson and Bradley.

“Avery is a great player,” Davis said later. “He most definitely is. His defensive game is unbelievable, the way he approaches the game defensively and the way he attacks. I’ve seen it. It’s just about him getting on the court and doing what he has to do.”

When the Magic acquired Davis in December, both General Manager Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy said Davis was one of the NBA’s best screeners.

Davis will have yet another opportunity to prove that tonight.

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

Glen “Big Baby” Davis will be looking to screen Avery Bradley when the Magic face the Celtics tonight (Joshua C. Cruey, Orlando Sentinel)

Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley bedeviled the Orlando Magic when the Celtics humiliated the Orlando Magic 87-56 Monday night. Bradley applied pressure whenever Jameer Nelson brought the ball up the court and prevented the Magic from getting into their offense.

But Bradley better keep his head on a swivel tonight, because his former teammate, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, will be waiting to screen him.

“I’ve never seen a point guard dominate the game like that in a way to get us out of our offense and get some key steals,” Davis said after the Magic completed their shootaround today.

“So he’ll be seeing me today.”

Davis meant it only half-jokingly.

The Magic need to give Nelson some space to operate if Bradley attempts to apply the same kind of pressure, and screens by Davis could help get some distance between Nelson and Bradley.

“Avery is a great player,” Davis said later. “He most definitely is. His defensive game is unbelievable, the way he approaches the game defensively and the way he attacks. I’ve seen it. It’s just about him getting on the court and doing what he has to do.”

When the Magic acquired Davis in December, both General Manager Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy said Davis was one of the NBA’s best screeners.

Davis will have yet another opportunity to prove that tonight.

Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

The secret to beating the Orlando Magic is no secret at all.

If you have good interior defenders, you single-cover Dwight Howard as much as possible and ask your other defenders to crowd perimeter shooters to take away 3-point shots.

The Boston Celtics did that when they eliminated the Magic during the 2010 Eastern Conference finals. The Atlanta Hawks followed a similar script when they knocked the Magic out of last year’s first round. And the Celtics did it again Monday night, limiting the Magic to single-game franchise lows of 56 points and 24.6 percent shooting.

“We have trouble scoring against them,” Magic guardJ.J. Redicksaid. “That’s not a secret. They’re a great defense, and we’ve had so many battles with them that they’ve kind of figured us out.”

Another battle against the stingy Celtics looms Thursday at Amway Center.

Stan Van Gundy resorted to a coach’s cliché when he was asked how important this latest matchup will be. Win or lose, he said, the result will only count once in the standings.

Van Gundy is factually correct.

But, at some point, the Magic probably will have to solve the Celtics’ defensive scheme. If Orlando does not face Boston this postseason, then Orlando may face Atlanta. If Orlando does not play Atlanta, perhaps the Chicago Bulls — who are coached by former Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau — will employ the same defensive game plan as the Celtics’ and the Hawks’ game plans.

Thursday, the Magic can start overcoming the obstacles.

“It’s not another game,” said the Magic’s Glen Davis. “We want to beat them. We want to beat them bad because we didn’t show them who we really are. They played a good game.”

Davis understands the challenges better than most. In both the 2009 playoffs and again in the 2010 playoffs, he was one of the big men who would guard Howard one-on-one.

Davis said a key for Orlando now — and something the team failed to do Monday — is to move the ball.

Van Gundy, Redick and Ryan Anderson also emphasized the importance of ball movement and, if necessary, running a second and third pick-and-roll each possession.

“I think the answer for us is we’ve got to somehow get their bodies off of us or try to get ‘em to put two guys on the ball,” Van Gundy said. “A lot of that is going to be screening and ball movement. And the pace of the game has to be very quick. I don’t mean necessarily it’s got to be up-and-down.”

This is largely what point guard Jameer Nelson meant when he said the Magic were “selfish” in their defeat Monday night. When Howard encountered problems down low, Orlando players too often tried to beat their defenders one-on-one. That’s a recipe for disaster for Orlando, because the team lacks players who can create their own shots off the dribble.

“Obviously, if Dwight has a mismatch down low and they’re single-covering him, we’ve got to get him the ball,” Anderson said. “But sometimes we can be really stagnant when Dwight gets the ball and kind of just stand around.”

On Monday, the Magic had problems just starting their halfcourt offense because Boston guard Avery Bradley put so much pressure on Nelson as Nelson brought the ball upcourt.

Publicly, Howard maintains that the loss in Boston merely was one bad game and that every team eventually has an awful performance.

But the Celtics have given the Magic so many problems in recent years that Howard must know Orlando has to find a way to beat Boston.

Redick all but acknowledged that when he was asked whether Thursday’s matchup is more important than a typical regular-season game.

“Yes,” he responded. “It absolutely is. We got embarrassed. We got embarrassed. So, yes, it is.”

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

The secret to beating the Orlando Magic is no secret at all.

If you have good interior defenders, you single-cover Dwight Howard as much as possible and ask your other defenders to crowd perimeter shooters to take away 3-point shots.

The Boston Celtics did that when they eliminated the Magic during the 2010 Eastern Conference finals. The Atlanta Hawks followed a similar script when they knocked the Magic out of last year’s first round. And the Celtics did it again Monday night, limiting the Magic to single-game franchise lows of 56 points and 24.6 percent shooting.

“We have trouble scoring against them,” Magic guardJ.J. Redicksaid. “That’s not a secret. They’re a great defense, and we’ve had so many battles with them that they’ve kind of figured us out.”

Another battle against the stingy Celtics looms Thursday at Amway Center.

Stan Van Gundy resorted to a coach’s cliché when he was asked how important this latest matchup will be. Win or lose, he said, the result will only count once in the standings.

Van Gundy is factually correct.

But, at some point, the Magic probably will have to solve the Celtics’ defensive scheme. If Orlando does not face Boston this postseason, then Orlando may face Atlanta. If Orlando does not play Atlanta, perhaps the Chicago Bulls — who are coached by former Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau — will employ the same defensive game plan as the Celtics’ and the Hawks’ game plans.

Thursday, the Magic can start overcoming the obstacles.

“It’s not another game,” said the Magic’s Glen Davis. “We want to beat them. We want to beat them bad because we didn’t show them who we really are. They played a good game.”

Davis understands the challenges better than most. In both the 2009 playoffs and again in the 2010 playoffs, he was one of the big men who would guard Howard one-on-one.

Davis said a key for Orlando now — and something the team failed to do Monday — is to move the ball.

Van Gundy, Redick and Ryan Anderson also emphasized the importance of ball movement and, if necessary, running a second and third pick-and-roll each possession.

“I think the answer for us is we’ve got to somehow get their bodies off of us or try to get ‘em to put two guys on the ball,” Van Gundy said. “A lot of that is going to be screening and ball movement. And the pace of the game has to be very quick. I don’t mean necessarily it’s got to be up-and-down.”

This is largely what point guard Jameer Nelson meant when he said the Magic were “selfish” in their defeat Monday night. When Howard encountered problems down low, Orlando players too often tried to beat their defenders one-on-one. That’s a recipe for disaster for Orlando, because the team lacks players who can create their own shots off the dribble.

“Obviously, if Dwight has a mismatch down low and they’re single-covering him, we’ve got to get him the ball,” Anderson said. “But sometimes we can be really stagnant when Dwight gets the ball and kind of just stand around.”

On Monday, the Magic had problems just starting their halfcourt offense because Boston guard Avery Bradley put so much pressure on Nelson as Nelson brought the ball upcourt.

Publicly, Howard maintains that the loss in Boston merely was one bad game and that every team eventually has an awful performance.

But the Celtics have given the Magic so many problems in recent years that Howard must know Orlando has to find a way to beat Boston.

Redick all but acknowledged that when he was asked whether Thursday’s matchup is more important than a typical regular-season game.

“Yes,” he responded. “It absolutely is. We got embarrassed. We got embarrassed. So, yes, it is.”

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

The secret to beating the Orlando Magic is no secret at all.

If you have good interior defenders, you single-cover Dwight Howard as much as possible and ask your other defenders to crowd perimeter shooters to take away 3-point shots.

The Boston Celtics did it when they eliminated the Magic during the 2010 Eastern Conference finals. The Atlanta Hawks followed a similar script when they knocked the Magic out of last year’s first round. And the Celtics did it again Monday night, limiting the Magic to single-game franchise lows of 56 points and 24.6 percent shooting.

“We have trouble scoring against them,” Magic guard J.J. Redick said. “That’s not a secret. They’re a great defense, and we’ve had so many battles with them that they’ve kind of figured us out.”

Another battle against the stingy Celtics looms Thursday at Amway Center.

Stan Van Gundy resorted to a coach’s cliché when he was asked how important this latest matchup will be. Win or lose, he said, the result will only count once in the standings.

Van Gundy is factually correct.

But, at some point, the Magic probably will have to solve the Celtics’ defensive scheme. If Orlando does not face Boston this postseason, then Orlando may face Atlanta. If Orlando does not play Atlanta, perhaps the Chicago Bulls — who are coached by former Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau — will employ a gameplan as the Celtics and the Hawks.

Thursday, the Magic can start overcoming the obstacles.

“It’s not another game,” said the Magic’s Glen Davis. “We want to beat them. We want to beat them bad because we didn’t show them who we really are. They played a good game.”

Davis understands the challenges better than most. In both the 2009 playoffs and again in the 2010 playoffs, he was one of the big men who would guard Howard one-on-one.

Davis said a key for Orlando now — and something the team failed to do Monday — is to move the ball.

Van Gundy, Redick and Ryan Anderson also emphasized the importance of ball movement and, if necessary, running a second and third pick-and-roll each possession.

“I think the answer for us is we’ve got to somehow get their bodies off of us or try to get ‘em to put two guys on the ball,” Van Gundy said. “A lot of that is going to be screening and ball movement. And the pace of the game has to be very quick. I don’t mean necessarily it’s got to be up-and-down.”

This is largely what point guard Jameer Nelson meant when he said the Magic were “selfish” in their defeat Monday night. When Howard encountered problems down low, Orlando players too often tried to beat their defenders one-on-one. That’s a recipe for disaster for Orlando, because the team lacks players who can create their own shots off the dribble.

“Obviously, if Dwight has a mismatch down low and they’re single-covering him, we’ve got to get him the ball,” Anderson said. “But sometimes we can be really stagnant when Dwight gets the ball and kind of just stand around.”

On Monday, the Magic had problems just starting their halfcourt offense because Boston guard Avery Bradley put so much pressure on Nelson as Nelson brought the ball upcourt.

Publicly, Howard maintains that the loss in Boston merely was one bad game and that every team eventually has an awful performance.

But the Celtics have given the Magic so many problems in recent years that Howard must know Orlando has to find a way to beat Boston.

Redick all but acknowledged that when he was asked whether Thursday’s matchup is more important than a typical regular-season game.

“Yes,” he responded. “It absolutely is. We got embarrassed. We got embarrassed. So, yes, it is.”

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

INDIANAPOLIS — For one month now, everyone around the NBA has tried to figure out this crazy, compressed 66-game schedule. For instance, how could a team play so terribly after two days of rest, while an opponent finishing its second game in two nights looks energetic?

But there was no reason to overthink things Tuesday night. The Orlando Magic were so angry with their loss to the Boston Celtics the night before that they just took out their frustrations on the Indiana Pacers.

The Magic overcame Dwight Howard’s first-half foul trouble and the fatigue from their second game in as many nights to rout the Pacers 102-83 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

“Why would we have so much more energy on the second night of a back-to-back [after] getting in at three in the morning?” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy asked afterward. “Well, because we got our butt kicked last night and we were embarrassed.”

Howard set the Magic’s career scoring record in the third quarter, but not before his teammates saved the day after he picked up three early fouls.

Ryan Anderson scored a game-high 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and played uncharacteristically strong defense. Glen Davis came off the bench to score 13 points and collect five boards. And Hedo Turkoglu scored 11 and dished out eight assists. 

Orlando (12-5) faced adversity and overcame it against Indiana (11-5).

Basically, the Magic responded totally differently than they did Monday, when they fell to the undermanned Boston Celtics 87-56.

“It’s kind of fuel,” Anderson said. “We know we’re a lot better than that. We knew what we needed to do to bounce back and play a great game tonight.”

Tuesday could have devolved into another disaster.

Howard played only 6 minutes, 18 seconds of the first quarter after he picked up two fouls guarding Roy Hibbert.

Just 24 seconds into the second period, Howard was whistled for another personal with the Magic already trailing 29-22.

But his teammates had his back.

Anderson, who is 6-foot-10, sometimes guarded Hibbert, who is 7-foot-2.

Earl Clark, a 6-foot-10 stringbean, had to defend bulky, powerful 6-foot-9 David West.

Hibbert and West managed just two points apiece in the quarter.

“I told Earl that’s the hardest I’ve ever seen him play,” Van Gundy said.

The Magic turned a 39-31 deficit into a 41-39 lead thanks to a 10-0 run that included a long jumper by Jameer Nelson, a trey by Turkoglu, an emphatic putback dunk by Richardson and a 3 by Anderson.

Howard stayed on the court for almost the entire third quarter, and he became the Magic’s career scoring leader with 9:59 to go in the period.

The Magic ran a pick-and-roll, and he was wide-open as he rolled to the hoop. Turkoglu delivered a pinpoint pass that hit Howard in stride, and Howard slammed the ball home to tie the score 49-49.

The points were Howard’s seventh and eighth of the night and gave him 10,651 for his career, eclipsing Nick Anderson’s old mark of 10,650.

“It does mean a lot,” said Howard, who finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

“It’s a great honor. Not too many players can say they’ve been a franchise-leading scorer. It means a lot to me.”

The third quarter ended with Quentin Richardson making an acrobatic 3 from 25 feet just as time expired.

The basket extended Orlando’s lead to 74-62 and sent Nelson and Jason Richardson springing out of their seats on the Magic bench.

On this night, the Magic had plenty of energy.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

INDIANAPOLIS — For one month now, everyone around the NBA has tried to figure out this crazy, compressed 66-game schedule. For instance, how could a team play so terribly after two days of rest, while an opponent finishing its second game in two nights looks energetic?

But there was no reason to overthink things Tuesday night. The Orlando Magic were so angry with their loss to the Boston Celtics the night before that they just took out their frustrations on the Indiana Pacers.

The Magic overcame Dwight Howard’s first-half foul trouble and the fatigue from their second game in as many nights to rout the Pacers 102-83 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

“Why would we have so much more energy on the second night of a back-to-back [after] getting in at three in the morning?” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy asked afterward. “Well, because we got our butt kicked last night and we were embarrassed.”

Howard set the Magic’s career scoring record in the third quarter, but not before his teammates saved the day after he picked up three early fouls.

Ryan Anderson scored a game-high 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and played uncharacteristically strong defense. Glen Davis came off the bench to score 13 points and collect five boards. And Hedo Turkoglu scored 11 and dished out eight assists. 

Orlando (12-5) faced adversity and overcame it against Indiana (11-5).

Basically, the Magic responded totally differently than they did Monday, when they fell to the undermanned Boston Celtics 87-56.

“It’s kind of fuel,” Anderson said. “We know we’re a lot better than that. We knew what we needed to do to bounce back and play a great game tonight.”

Tuesday could have devolved into another disaster.

Howard played only 6 minutes, 18 seconds of the first quarter after he picked up two fouls guarding Roy Hibbert.

Just 24 seconds into the second period, Howard was whistled for another personal with the Magic already trailing 29-22.

But his teammates had his back.

Anderson, who is 6-foot-10, sometimes guarded Hibbert, who is 7-foot-2.

Earl Clark, a 6-foot-10 stringbean, had to defend bulky, powerful 6-foot-9 David West.

Hibbert and West managed just two points apiece in the quarter.

“I told Earl that’s the hardest I’ve ever seen him play,” Van Gundy said.

The Magic turned a 39-31 deficit into a 41-39 lead thanks to a 10-0 run that included a long jumper by Jameer Nelson, a trey by Turkoglu, an emphatic putback dunk by Richardson and a 3 by Anderson.

Howard stayed on the court for almost the entire third quarter, and he became the Magic’s career scoring leader with 9:59 to go in the period.

The Magic ran a pick-and-roll, and he was wide-open as he rolled to the hoop. Turkoglu delivered a pinpoint pass that hit Howard in stride, and Howard slammed the ball home to tie the score 49-49.

The points were Howard’s seventh and eighth of the night and gave him 10,651 for his career, eclipsing Nick Anderson’s old mark of 10,650.

“It does mean a lot,” said Howard, who finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

“It’s a great honor. Not too many players can say they’ve been a franchise-leading scorer. It means a lot to me.”

The third quarter ended with Quentin Richardson making an acrobatic 3 from 25 feet just as time expired.

The basket extended Orlando’s lead to 74-62 and sent Nelson and Jason Richardson springing out of their seats on the Magic bench.

On this night, the Magic had plenty of energy.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.